Federal authorities reported at a meeting with relatives of the victims in Mexico City that as part of the investigations into the disappearance of the Veracruz youth, a ranch was found in the town of Tlalixcoyan, Veracruz, about 65 kilometers [40 miles] north Tierra Blanca.
SEGOB reported that experts in forensics and criminology from the Scientific Division of the Federal Police carried out an analysis which confirmed that various illegal activities had taken place at the site.
"They collected evidence of drugs being processed, equipment used to alter [stolen] vehicles, illegal storage of hydrocarbons, as well as other crimes. On the site, canine teams, trained to locate people, found several points where the experts collected bones and blood stains, which were subjected to a rigorous genetic analysis", officials said in their statement.Upon comparing samples taken at the ranch with the genetic profiles provided by the families of the five kidnapping victims, it was determined that they coincided with two of the youths.
Undersecretary for Human Rights, Roberto Campa, confirmed the commitment to inform the relatives of any progress, as well as the order to continue the search process, in addition to accompanying the families to complete the whole process of investigation and punish those responsible.
"This is an enforced disappearance, because policemen are involved," Campa said [in late January], recognizing a similarity to the case of 43 Ayotzinapa normal school students in Guerrero.Seven state police have been arrested for alleged involvement in the case .
The disappeared young people are: Bernardo Benitez Arroniz (25), José Benítez de la O (24), Susana Tapia Garibo (16), Mario Arturo Orozco Sánchez (27 years) and Alfredo Gonzalez Diaz (25 years).
Relatives of the five victims and activists have demanded the resignation of State Secretary of Public Security, Arturo Bermudez Zurita, whom they consider responsible for the actions of state agents involved in the disappearance [four of the seven had failed tests of trustworthiness but were still on the job]. Spanish original